Shelter after Disaster

An overview of shelter responses in Pakistan 2011- 2014 and

how to build low-cost houses with lime that can withstand future floods

Magnus Wolfe Murray Shelter Advisor – UK Department for International Development 2010 - 2014

In areas like these flooded by intense rains in September 2012

Kashmore, September 2012 – almost 400,000 families lost their homes during this flood alone. That’s almost three million people in these kind of conditions.

Significant flood damage still evident six months later

Often destruction starts from the roof-down Because roofs are built badly and heavy beams bear down upon mud walls that have no stability.

Both katcha (mud) and pukka (brick) houses collapsed

Water supply is also seriously damaged or interrupted after major floods. The needs are diverse, including health care, education, re-starting livelihoods.

Badin district, November 2011

Despite disasters, the poorest and hardest hit are always the most positive, friendly and resilient!

Basic shelter – for almost 2 years: Little protection from the elements. Up to 50 degrees C. by May

Animal faeces and disease all around

Women and children exposed and at risk.

A picture of vulnerability when poor people loose everything, have no insurance nor advice on how to rebuild to cope with future floods.

Large tent: $200- $350 range. Limited adaptability – can’t be used to reconstruct the home.

And expensive!

First priority: emergency shelter But how much does this cost?

$25 / Unit

Cheap but almost worthless: • Limited space • No closing at the ends • Limited privacy and dignity • Low cost is not always best!

Cheaper tent ($150)

But still not enough space for a whole family.

In contrast – a DFID / IOM designed family shelter

$90 / family – including a solar light

Whole families: better protection, enhanced dignity

The “Roofing Kit” idea (by HANDS, a local NGO)

• $100 per family

• Used as temporary shelter

• Later to build a roof

• Double the value of a tent

• And half the price

Includes a steel beam (for the reconstructed house in future / when they can go home) Solar light

Simple water filter – last for months and makes dirty river water safe for drinking

Upon return, most families have used this roofing kit a “second time” to cover temporary shelters (that are NOT flood resistant). Now these same materials will be used a third time to cover a durable flood-resistant home.

And a third and final time: the family’s flood-resistant permanent home. So one roofing kit meets 3 different “phases” of need.

Lime based screed (thick mortar) on roof: improved water resistance: Good. Need evidence of performance in rains

Good size eaves, protecting top of walls)

Twin pitch roof: better than flat roof at discharging rainwater off the roof

Cost: Emergency: £60 / family Robust shelter: £130 Admin, etc.: £15 Total: £205 - £300 per family

The alternative: Emergency only: £60 / family – every year assuming = £600 in ten years

This makes a real difference!

Kiela, mother and house builder

Used the roofing kit to build a family home

Now they have a safe roof

Keila outside her window. Note depth of wall, good thermal mass and natural cooling!

Local people learning to

make a ring beam of

bamboo and lime-concrete.

The Ring Beam

A typical house in lower Sindh. The top of the wall is not protected by the roof –

making it vulnerable to monsoon rain getting in, weakening and eventually

causing the walls to collapse. By extending the eaves further out this would be

resolved

This house has already

been rebuilt – without

technical advice so the

building is once again

vulnerable to collapse in

heavy rains.

For this reason, technical

training is one of the best

ways to build resilience to

future floods / heavy rains.

Training should take place

in as many communities as

possible, using “hands-on”

learning, re-building at

least one house properly –

as reference for the rest of

the community.

Rain will flash in

here and weaken

the wall

Point loading by this

beam will cause

collapse of the

weakened wall

An extended eave, built by local people during Heritage Foundation

training. This will prevent rain flooding into the top of the wall.

The ring beam runs below these bamboo girders,

now out of site, covered in earth plaster

Without a ring

beam the heavy

girders “point load”

onto specific

points on the wall

causing it to crack,

buckle then

collapse

These roofs are far stronger than typical roofs made from steel girders and bamboo

poles (partially because of the shorter distances between each girder & rafter).

So they can be used as “refuge platforms” in case of future flooding (or to grow food,

store stuff, etc.).

This is a good example of innovation, building resilience and value for money!

• Lime makes ordinary soil completely flood resistant

• These blocks were submerged for 3 months

• Seeing is believing

Lime: the key to low-cost flood resistant houses

Local Lime Production

Vast lime deposits in most countries

There is a large demand from steel, sugar and food industries

Local bushes are cut for fuel and the fire burns for 3 days and 3 nights. The bushes re-grow after they’re cut.

Offers ZERO CARBON lime products (unlike in Europe where fossil fuels are used)

Lime Kiln in Southern Pakistan

The lime cycle

Detailed drawings were prepared – showing the whole process step by step

HANDS have introduced machines for producing highly compressed lime blocks.

Examples of better shading: Use existing structures where possible (see left) HANDS, Gotki district

Temporary wood and thatch structure erected for block stacking in shade. Much less likelihood of exposure to sun Lime – earth blocks like these need 30 days to “cure” before being ready for building

Every project using lime should start to institute these soak tests – in villages where the materials will be used. Only by seeing and experiencing will beneficiaries understand the relative merits of proper lime use, of testing different mixes and then choosing the best solution for themselves.

• Straw-build UK now working with all partners to enhance knowledge and capacity in lime technology.

• Qazafi Memon, pictured, now Straw-build’s local advisor and trainer supporting partners at community level.

Thick walls with LIME

Which withstood 5 days heavy rain – without a roof or any covering – and show little signs of damage.

Raise the level of the house

Solar light – these cost about 600 PKR (£5) and save people between 300 and 600 PKR per month. Light is critical for protection, to see snakes (who are also displaced in floods and come into settlements), for education, etc. They also don’t cause fires – a constant risk with kerosene or candles.

Solar lights, distributed in late 2012 by HANDS and IOM, still appear to be working well One family experimented with one light to create a charger for mobile phones! The switches appear to break first. This family made repairs at a local workshop. Sorted.

VFM: 1 light saves <400 per month Investment is 800 per light Impact: payback in two months – saving 4,800 over 24 months

£1 invested generates £5.8

Solar Lights – the story so far and

important outcomes • Better protection and safety

for women and children

• Saving money < 15% of income

• Less indoor pollution and fire risk

Local roundhouses (chora) are prevelant in many parts of Southern Sindh.

These show how local reeds are used to build the walls, then mud and lime plaster added later.

IOM and HANDS select elected focal points in the communities who will receive money in their bank accounts on behalf of all the beneficiaries. Money is advanced in three phases, each requiring the previous phase to have been completed so the funds are conditional on progress by the whole community. This way the community manage their own reconstruction.

A cross-section of a safe foundation made from earth and lime, with a projected “toe” to give further durability in case of flooding

An example of bamboo structure for a twin-pitch roof. This avoids the use of local trees – a non-renewable source of building material, causing serious environmental damage

A traditional Sindhi round-house, built on a raised platform by Heritage Foundation as a model. Lime mud render for water-resistance.

Birani, in front of her temporary home for the last two years, and in the background the new HANDS / DFID-funded shelter she can now move into.

Case studies like these are really important to tell the story of our work. Suggest all partners try to draw out more human stories like these.

Completed IOM Shelter, UC Jagan, District Shikarpur.

Good example of high raised plinth and massive foundation, protected with lime render

Flat roof: too high to be used regularly by the family. Suggest review of benefits of flat vs. pitched roofs. Critical criteria is capacity to displace water quickly and avoid leaking.

Good example of lime mortar sealing of bamboo “ends” to avoid infestation by insects.

Another HANDS shelter / house. As the walls were built with lime-stabilised blocks (following the bucket “soak” test) they are proven to withstand extended immersion in water. Cost per shelter: £180 (29,000 Rs) . As wall elements are well stabilised, no need for extended “toes” – this is a technical challenge to all. Discuss.

The impact of a good shelter programme: on left – how people live without a shelter programme after a disaster. Behind, the house that should stand for generations

Consistent quality across the IOM shelters: good attention to detail, built by the whole family themselves.

Sun-dried bricks form the core of the walls in the IOM shelters. Ideally, these should now become lime-stabilised bricks, for increased flood-resistance.

Heritage Foundation, 2010 response, Khaipur district. This 3 room building

being used as a school. These are raised high above the ground in case of

flooding. They could be used to protect people’s physical assets and elderly or

disabled people who may not be able to reach temporary settlements in times

of emergency. This cost around $5,000

CO2 emissions reductions from our low-carbon approach to building

Building material Tonnes of CO2 emissions -

conventional building Tonnes of CO2 emissions -

DFID shelters # Houses

(flood resistant)

Bricks 323,675 22,657 107,000

Cement 60,990 107,000

Steel 11,267 6,760 107,000

Lime 1,252 107,000

Total 395,932 30,669

• Result: Over 365,000 Tonnes of CO2 emissions avoided = 170,000 flights London – Tokyo, return Or… 3 days emissions for the city of London Or… annual CO2 emissions of 24,000 Brits

Source for calculations: University of Bath, Embodied energy and carbon in Construction materials (2008). Available at: https://www.circularecology.com/nuqdjaidjajklasah.html

• 4,500 homes under reconstruction with HANDS trainers

• Earthquake compliant and low cost

• Design collaboration with Huzdar University, Balochistan

Arawan, Baluchistan earthquake (2013) response – still ongoing

Cash grants for affected families But… • Supporting productive livelihoods

• Rather than free hand-outs Here women and elderly selected to make building materials for shelters

• Cook-stoves – models build in every shelter village.

• Very good feedback so far from women and girls:)

Mira, shown seated on the left, designed this stove herself, based on some discussion with HANDS colleagues. She says it works much better: two pots can cook from the same fire (twice the efficiency). She has now trained several other women in the community how to replicate this, such as the lady on the right. The “Mira-Stove” begins.

Chimney holes – ready to link into earth blocks with holes to take smoke away

I suggest that a earth-lime chimney block is made – to produce blocks with a chimney hole in the middle. Stacked one on top of each other they create a chimney. This would avoid the need to purchase any chimney piece from the market, Reducing the price of the stove to zero

Good to see borders of cooking area made with walls Asbestos chimney (pictured) should be avoided – serious health risks. Please replace all these with mud or steel chimneys

Heritage Foundation model – based on a raised platform, for more hygienic cooking and eating.

What is Karavan SwissoPak Chulah? DRR- Compliant Earthen Smokeless Double Stove

The ‘no-cost’ Karavan SwissoPak chulah is part of HF’s disaster preparedness strategy being implemented in 10 Core Villages.

This is who really benefits from improved cook-stoves – without better stoves these girls face a life-time of smoke pollution and disease

Summary feedback on stoves

• Women and girls tell us they have less eye disease and fewer coughs; can we measure these health improvements? (disease reduction).

• Are there any financial savings from reduced medical expenses or fuel costs they can recall?

• Multiple designs underway: suggest we develop a technical evaluation towards end of 2014 to compare quality, impact, efficiency, etc.

• The WHO estimate that 4.3 million people each year die of indoor air pollution from cooking smoke, which is the second highest cause of mortality for women in the developing world, after maternal mortality.

• Can we build the evidence base in Pakistan?

project component

Pak Rupee savings /

month Savings / year

savings in $ / year Notes

Clean water & sanitation

1,500 18,000 175

Based on verbal feedback from men and women in villages where toilets were being used and hand-washing practiced regularly.

Stoves TBD TBS TBD Too early for evidence of cost-savings. More research needed

Kitchen garden 1,500 18,000 175 As communicated by owners of each garden. More thorough research needed.

Solar lights 400 4,800 47 Average savings reported by people who have off-set purchase of kerosene, candles or torches.

Total 3,400 40,800 396

Economic impact of integrated design

• Per family savings of up to 3,300 per month • More research needed to get more accurate data on savings, over the year

Kitchen gardens Some good examples across Sindh • From livelihoods projects (photo right) • And from WASH / grey water from hand-pump • Need to capture financial savings on vegetable spend

per family, per month • Try to find out how many families one garden reaches • Is it being replicated or are there only one per

village? • How can it be replicated across all houses?

Before (Oct 2013)

Cost to project: $0 (Zero) Impact: • < 2,500 Rs. / month savings • & nutrition gains • & public health hazard

reduced Village: UC Dasti District Jacobabad

After (May 2014)

Kitchen gardens summary

• Can shelter partners promote these in the “shelter only” villages?

• What additional resources necessary to promote more gardens?

• Can we measure nutritional gains / changes from garden produce?

UNICEF model • Pakistan Approach for Total Sanitation -

PATS

• Up to 10% of community receive small subsidy to build a clean toilet slab

• To promote a model for people to replicate

• Cost per unit: 5,500 (£35)

• Walls and septic tank built by community

• But how to target the 10% without causing division in the community?

Basic walls built by some families Shelter partners could show people how to build basic walls and septic tanks using lime blocks The slab needs to be set into a smooth concrete apron (surround) so that the floor can be kept clean. As shown in picture.

UNICEF / NRSP provided 5,500 towards the cost of this latrine. Note: INNOVATION for hand-washing

This will save lives, reduce diarrhoea and save money • Hand-washing WORKS! (UNICEF, WHO, et al)

LOW to ZERO cost innovation with MASSIVE impact potential Making hand-washing easy

Baseline – pre-disaster development / poverty

Disaster

B. Inadequate recovery = increased vulnerability

A. Result: Communities are less vulnerable and more resilient

A. Reduced impact of disaster due to smart recovery & CBDRM

B. More Severe impact of disaster due to inadequate recovery and insufficient CBDRM & preparedness

B. Consequence of limited recovery & resilience work: Exacerbated vulnerability – communities adopt negative coping mechanisms

Time

Vu

lner

abili

ty /

R

esili

ence

Degree of resilience increased – or vulnerability exacerbated – as result of recovery & resilience decisions

Disaster – recovery – resilience continuum An overview of our strategy in DFID-Pakistan

New “Resilience Programme”

Post Emergency –

Flood Resistant

Shelters

Criteria:

• Low cost – replicable

• Respect local vernacular

• Must be flood resistant

Design improvement # 1:

• Extended roof eaves

This series of pictures portrays normal village life in many villages in Pakistan and how, with community mobilisation and low-cost, appropriate design, the transformation that could be achieved. This need cost no more than conventional WASH and early recovery projects.

Slide 1: A normal village in Sindh: little shade in the extreme heat, no kitchen gardens, high malnutrition, poor health and hygiene, deforestation, denuded environment, etc.

Residual water from hand-pump

lying stagnant

Overflow from septic tanks creating disease

With lack of fodder, goats roam free and eat

emerging trees and plants

Slide 2: Hand-pump residual water directed to sunken “sponge” gardens, planted with bananas or other species; septic tanks linked to constructed wetlands; key tree species planted, rainwater collection initiated.

Slide 3: Goats enclosed and controlled. Sunken beds below hand-pumps planted. Kitchen gardens have started; constructed wetland for septic tank operational; specific native trees planted around the compound, including mango / other fruits, neem and moringa species for multiple nutritional and health benefits.

Concept: DFID Illustration and artwork: UNHABITAT

3 to 5 years on, Moringa trees providing fodder for animals,

increasing milk production by up to 50% and weight gain < 35% While providing multiple nutritional and health benefits for people

Kitchen gardens saving 30 – 50% people’s income on food while improving nutrition

Constructed wetland system provides complete treatment for sewage waste while providing habitat for bamboo and other useful species

Increased shade, wind and flood protection, better hygiene, sanitation and nutrition, household income boosted. Overall resilience enhanced.